The 33,000 square meter site on Kreuzstrasse is now completely built over. Many of the buildings are in need of considerable renovation, including the cantonal police and prison buildings. In addition, there are operational deficiencies such as a lack of escape routes or inadequate separation between public and staff entrances.
On the basis of a broad-based investigation, the cantonal government has decided to completely reorganize the site and build new replacement buildings. The aim is to create a modern security competence center that improves functional processes, increases security and is more economical in the long term than selective renovations.
Bundled blue-light organizations
The site is currently home to the police, prison, road safety center, road inspectorate, justice department and public prosecutor’s office. Due to the central location, the possibility of relocating additional emergency services, in particular the fire department and ambulance service, to Kreuzstrasse is being examined. The aim is to create a location with short distances, coordinated processes and clear responsibilities.
Test planning has shown that this bundling on the existing site is realistic. It confirms that the spatial requirements of the current uses and additional organizations can be implemented on the site without obstructing the site’s development potential.
Prison with a view to future needs
The future direction of the cantonal prison was also analyzed in depth as part of the test planning. The demand for prison places in Switzerland is high, particularly for inmates in need of care in the penal system. Against this background, Nidwalden is examining how the new prison facilities should be dimensioned and functionally aligned in order to meet demand in the long term.
Design plan and indicative project
The District Council has approved a planning credit of CHF 1.63 million for the design plan and indicative project. The planning will be continued with a clearly defined group of users – the cantonal police, rescue service, fire department, justice department, public prosecutor’s office, prison, road inspectorate, road safety center and selected administrative units.
The design plan is intended to create the legally binding framework for the next planning steps. It specifies which uses are permitted where, how development, open spaces and urban planning are to be designed and which stages are possible.
Adjustments to the process and open sub-projects
Several planning teams were initially involved in the study commission for the design plan and indicative project. In the course of 2025, however, it became apparent that the development with a moderate expansion of the existing traffic circle would not be sufficient in view of new traffic forecasts. At the same time, a new option for the road safety center came into play. Obwalden is planning a new building in Sarnen and synergies of a shared location with test halls and test tracks are being examined.
In order to be able to react more flexibly to these changes, it was decided to terminate the study contract in its previous form and to continue working on the indicative project with just one planning team. In October 2025, the District Council also requested more planning certainty, particularly for the two sub-projects “Road Safety Center” and “Prison”, before the design plan and indicative project are definitively completed.
Next steps and timetable
The design plan will cover the three local municipalities of Stans, Buochs and Oberdorf. The corresponding municipal assemblies or ballots for decision-making are currently scheduled for 2027.
The first loan applications for architectural competitions for individual buildings of the security competence center are expected from 2028 at the earliest. Until then, it will be a matter of clarifying the unresolved issues relating to development, the prison layout and the traffic safety center.
